TWOCHAMBER CONGRESS December 2017 AP Government BICAMERALISM Two
TWO-CHAMBER CONGRESS December 2017 AP Government
BICAMERALISM • Two chambers: upper (Senate) and lower (House) • Work together to pass laws, conduct oversight, declare war, propose amendments • Different powers • • House: originates revenue bills Brings impeachment charges Picks president if <270 Emphasis on tax and revenue policy • Senate: confirms pres. Appointments to federal positions • Approves treaties • Convicts/tries charges against federal employees • Emphasis on foreign policy
FUNDAMENTAL DIFFERENCES • Size: (House) apportionment • Length of term (2 vs. 6 years) • Prestige • Constituencies (voter base) • Rules and manner of operation (especially regarding debates on bills) • House Rules Committee – determines rules of debate on floor; stricter, more rules • Senate – unlimited debate= filibuster (gives minority party leverage); cloture (vote of 60 senators to end filibuster and vote on bill)
APPORTIONMENT • apportionment: determining number of House seats per state • Reapportionment: number of seats updated to reflect population shifts; census every 10 years to adjust number of seats; Constitutional requirement (Article 1, section 2) • Redistricting: redrawing of district lines from which a representative is elected • Max number of representatives = 435 • If one state gains, one loses • Average size of constituency based on 2010 census = 710, 767 • 2010: Texas gained 4 seats; NY and Ohio lost 2 seats each • Gerrymandering: designing a district for the advantage of a party
WHO’S IN CONGRESS?
DEMOGRAPHICS 80% men, 20% women in both Houses House average = 56 Senate = 62
RELIGIOUS Still dominant, but decreasing
AVERAGE NET WORTH House = $75, 000 Senate = $1. 7 million
EDUCATED 2/3 hold advanced degrees; many are lawyers
Why do you think?
HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT • What did you learn about your Congressmen/woman? • Based on income and ethnicity, do they reflect the district? • What did you learn about your district that you didn’t know before? • What was their voting record like? • Who would you like to see represent your district? Describe them. • More than 2 terms?
INCUMBENCY ADVANTAGE • Incumbents: a person seeking reelection for office • Over 90% of incumbents in the House won re-election • Over 75% in Senate
INCUMBENCY ADVANTAGE Name recognition Media exposure Familiarity
PORK-BARREL LEGISLATION Pork-barrel legislation: give tangible benefits (highways, bridges, post office) to constituents in hope of gaining votes Pork: those tangible benefits Earmarks: money that appropriations bills designate for specific projects in certain districts
FRANKING Helps with name recognition and sharing about pork (Legally, they can mail constituents everyday)
MONEY, MONEY Ability to fundraise is crucial for campaign success Political parties on the local/state level tend to support incumbents; proven success Lobbyists: give money to influence members of Congress; don’t want an outsider
DISTRICT Safe district Marginal district
CONGRESSIONAL LEADERSHIP
CONGRESSIONAL LEADERSHIP Majority refers to the political party most represented in each chamber; minority is the political party with the lesser amount Current majority in both Houses = Republican Current minority = Democrat
PARTY DIVIDE IN CONGRESS
UNIFIED GOVERNMENT • Under the current administration, we are have what is called a • Unified government: same political party controls Congress and the presidency • This gives the political party agenda-setting power to achieve its party’s goals; majority party controls legislative process and selection of leadership • Divided government: political condition where different political parties control the presidency and Congress
SELECTION OF LEADERSHIP • Leaders in Congress are elected by Party Caucuses or Party Conferences: • a formal gathering of all party members
PAUL RYAN, (R) Administrative head Goal is to achieve the enactment of political party’s legislative ideas
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE Vice President (Mike Pence, not Joe Biden) Determined via the Constitution Only votes to break a tie Hardly present
PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE As far as structure goes, like the Speaker of the House Not nearly as powerful Chosen based on seniority (longest serving time in Senate)
MAJORITY LEADERS Similar function to Speaker of the House Achieve party’s legislative goals
MAJORITY/MINORITY LEADERS • Works to advance party’s goals • Helps plan legislative agenda • Schedules legislative business • Works to form party cohesion • Minority Leader: “loyal opposition” to majority party
WHIPS Majority/minority for each party Maintains communication between party leadership and members; acts as liaison Builds support for leadership’s priorities Informs and mobilizes members on voting on key legislation
POP-QUIZ 12/11/17 • Identify the three main functions of Congress. • Your response should be one, maximum two, complete sentences.
MAIN FUNCTIONS OF CONGRESS • Lawmaking—creating/amending new laws • Oversight—studying, investigating, and analyzing policy and govt. institutions • Executive agencies • Reviews regulations and laws • Budgetary—creating a federal budget and allocating funds • Revenue -- Tax policy, licenses, excise, duties • Allocation of money (spending) – discretionary and mandatory spending • Civil servant pay roll
ANALYZING A CHART …with less than one minute per question on the multiple choice section, you will not have the time” to analyze the chart completely. Instead quickly read the title of the chart and recognize what it is all about —Resist the temptation to analyze more right now! Instead, go immediately to the question and answer choices. Use process of elimination to rule out blatantly incorrect/false statements
THEORIES ON CONGRESSIONAL VOTING
REPRESENTATIONAL (DELEGATE)
ATTITUDINAL (TRUSTEE)
ORGANIZATIONAL (PARTISAN)
POLITICAL PARTIES AND CONGRESS • Majority party in each chamber controls and dominates legislature – i. e. Speaker of the House and Majority Leader most powerful positions; determined by majority party • • chooses leadership establishes rules and procedures sets agenda appoints members to committees
CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES • Committees are where the legislative action happens – “little legislatures” • Three types: • Standing • Select (special) • Joint (conference)
STANDING COMMITTEES • Permanent – 20 in House; 16 in Senate • Organized by subject/policy area • Membership decided by party leaders • Bills must first go through here before being considered by entire House – ‘gatekeepers’– sets legislative agenda • Oversight—monitor agencies, programs, and activities related to subject area • Recommends funds for government operations
SELECT (SPECIAL) COMMITTEES Temporary Established for select, specific, and special job Once purpose is fulfilled, committee is dissolved Studies issue or policy Conducts investigation Considers measures for bill or resolution
JOINT &CONFERENCE COMMITTEES • Includes both chambers • Conducts studies • Performs housekeeping • Considers measures, together • Conference: • Type of joint committee (includes members from both chambers) • Reconcile differences between 2 versions of same bill (i. e. House Tax Bill and Senate Tax Bill)
MAKING 2 BECOME 1: IRONING OUT SENATE AND HOUSE TAX BILL DIFFERENCES NYT, 12/6/17 • The Senate tax bill, which passed early Saturday morning, contained several last-minute changes that only widened the differences with the House-passed bill. • Lawmakers from both chambers are now headed to conference, where they will try to work out their differences and emerge with a final bill that can be passed by the House and Senate and then sent to President Trump’s desk by Christmas. • Getting a bill signed into law by Mr. Trump remains a top priority of Republican lawmakers, and momentum to get something to his desk quickly remains. • On Tuesday, Mr. Trump said that lawmakers were working on the bill “so that it comes out very beautifully. ” • “I call it ‘the mixer, ’ he said. “It’s a conference where everyone gets together and they pick all the good things and get rid of the things they don’t like. ” • Significant issues still need to be addressed before that can happen, and one lawmaker’s “good things” might not be another’s. The Joint Committee on Taxation on Thursday released a detailed list of the differences.
FEDERAL BUDGET • Congressional Budget Act of 1974 established current procedure for creating federal budget each fiscal year = October 1 – September 3 o • Step 1: President proposes recommended budget to Congress • Step 2: Congress reviews president’s proposal, then drafts and adopts a concurrent budget resolution : how much should be raised, spent • Step 3: By October 1, Congress is expected to enact 12 appropriations bills for discretionary spending (about 35% of budget)—national defense, judicial system, transportation, environment, medical research, etc. (If they don’t pass the 12 bills by Oct. 1, there is a government shutdown) • Step 4: When shutdown occurs, Congress must either allow the government to shutdown, or pass a “continuing resolution” to continue last year’s funding allocations
BUDGET 101 • This plan, however, only becomes official after Congress passes, and the President signs spending bills and legislation creating new taxes and entitlements. (joint resolution) • After receiving the President's budget, Congress examines it in detail. Scores of committees and subcommittees hold hearings on proposals under their jurisdiction. The House and Senate Armed Services Committees, for instance, would hold hearings on the President's defense plan. If the President's plan contains proposals that affect Federal revenues, the House Ways and Means and Senate Finance committees would hold hearings. The President, the Budget Director, the Cabinet, and others work with Congress as it accepts some proposals, rejects others, and changes still others.
DO NOW • Look up the function of the following committees and put on worksheet: • Appropriations • Judiciary • Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (Senate) • Ways and Means (House)
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